The Latest from the Steampunk World

Airship Ventures

During the Q&A session with Abney Park at A-Kon 21, somehow Captain Robert got on the topic of airships (crazy, I know) and regaled the audience with an incredible tale of high flying adventure!

A while back, Abney Park was approached by a company called Airship Ventures. They worked out a deal wherein the band would play a concert in the belly of an airship in what would be the first airship flight of the 21st century. The band crafted miniature instruments specifically for the cramped quarters of an airship in preparation for this historic event. Tickets to said event sold out in 12 seconds. 12 freaking seconds. I’d hate to be the person who was waiting for purchasing to start, when a spot on the TV distracted him for a moment:

“Oh, I’ll just watch some TV while I wait for this epic Abney Park concert’s tickets to go on sale.”

13 seconds later

“That was a dumb commercial! Time to buy my…. Damn it!”

All seemed a go until the day of the historic airship launch and the high flying concert, when a thunderstorm grounded the flight. Though incredibly disappointing, it was the right decision, especially when one considers what happened on the last airship flight of the 20th century:

Yeah... probably better to err on the side of caution.

And while the band did not get to perform in the first ever airship flight since the Hindenburg disaster, there are still airship flights of San Fransisco Bay, LA, and the Monterrey Coast flown by Airship Ventures. What better place to hold a Steampunk meeting than in an ACTUAL AIRSHIP?

Be aware, though… flights will cost the aspiring airship pirate quite a pretty penny to get the privilege of traveling in what is one of the most Steampunk manners possible.

And, as for the Abney Park concert, it’s on hold, but I think everyone is hoping that it goes through at some point. It’s just too epic not to do.